Chain conveyer for handling coal



UNIT-ED ,Y STATES PATENT OFFICE..

' JAM/Es M. DODGE, 0E PEILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

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SPECIFICATION forming parz f ntr'rg Parent No. 382,638, @ated May e, 188e. Application filed-October 15, lii'.1 Serial N cA 252.404, (No modell.)

To all vwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES M. DODGE, of

Philadelphia, in the countyof Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improved vChain Conveycr for Handling Coal, &c.'; and Ido hereby declare that the followingv is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this of operation of which consist, essentially, in a chain conveyer having a` trough that is open at one side, the mode of operation being such that by the placement' of the one-sided trough on the ground and near the base of the pile of material and .the periodical Vor continuous movement or adjustment of the conveyertrough toward the'pile the-material thereof will be continuously carried off by the iiights as the `particles of material tumble by gravity into the conveyer.

My present invention involves the use-of a conveyerv constructed and operating on the same principle; and it consists, essentially, in a duplex conveyer-trough adapted to operate on vopposite sides of the same or different piles of it, although it may be carried into effect under4 various modifications as to the detail construction of the contrivance shown.

' In the drawings, Figure I'is a perspective 55 view showing part of an ordinary elevated track, twopiles of material which have beenformed by the discharge vof the contents of dumps or cars running on said track in the usual manner, an ordinary elevator forcarry- 6o in'gthe material from a given point anddischarging it into cars (not shown) on said elevated track for transportation, and my improved duplex open-sided trough conveyer arranged and operating according to my present improvement. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view,v on an enlarged scale, of that end of the improved conveyer-trough at which-is located the drive-wheel of,Y the conveyer-chain. Fig.

3 isa detailviewin perspective with a por- 70 i tion' of the frame-workbroken away.

L In the several views the saine parts will bel found designated by the same letters of reference.

A isY the trestle-work, and b the track or rails, of lan ordinary elevated rail`road,`from which material is supposed to be discharged through the medium of`dumping-cars, to form extensive heaps ory piles, such as illustrated at P. I have shown two of these piles of mate- 8o rial,slightlyseparated, and between these piles `is arranged,to rest on the ground in close proximity to the base of one of s'aidpiles,a duplex open-sided chain conveyer, which is composed of fa base or bottom, D,`a centrally-arranged longitudinal vertical portion, e, suitable chainwheels, G and I, located at or near and having their arbors or shafts suitably supportedupon the end portions of the'bot'tom board or base,

D, of the conveyer-trough, and an ordinary '9o cable-chain, E, provided with'conveyer-ights f, in the usual manner. At that end of the cohveyer which is inl close proximity to the base of the trestle-work A is supposedv to be the drive-wheel C, which has 'the' necessary g5 power andmotion for running the chain conveyer imparted toit in' any suitable manner.

At the vicinity of this end of the conveyertrough there is, in the case shown, a'pit or de Y pression, g, into which the material brought to Ioo Vthe base of the trestle-work is discharged, and

from which it is supposed to be immediately re-4 moved by a suitableordinary conveyer, h, which latter carries it to the base or boot of an elevator, J, by which it is supposed to be carried up, and from the spout of which it is discharged into dumps or cars on the elevated track for transportation.

The arrows at Fig. 1 indicate the directions in which the chain and its flights travel, the direction of motion (as indicated) being reversed whenever the conveyer may have one of its operative edges or portions brought to bear on the base of a pile, as seen in full lines, or mayhave its opposite side or portion brought to bear on the base of any pile, as indicated by the dotted lines.

In the operation of my improved contrivanee or apparatus, the chain conveyer having one edge of its bottom or door D placed contiguous to the base of a pile, as shown at Fig. 1, and the conveyer-chain,with its flights, set in motion in the proper direction, the particles of coal or other material,which tumble or roll down by gravity and from the agitation of the traveling flights, will pass into that side or portion of the duplex conveyer-trough which is adjacent to the pile of material, and willA be carried along by the flights f to the point of discharge, and from thence may be continuously removed by the means shown, or otherwise. As the automatic supply of material becomes inadequate or insuieient, the outer end of the conveyer-trough is moved (in any suitable manner) in the direction indicated by the arrow at Fig. 1, said trough vibrating, preferably, about the axis or shaft of the drivewheel G as a pivotal point, the periodical or continuous swinging round or vibration of the conveyer-trough into or against the ,lower portion ofthe pile of material operating to induce a constant and sufficient supply of the latter to the flights of one portion of the duplex conveyer-trough until the contents of the pile shall have been all swept away or carried back to the pit g. p

As will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 1 and the dotted lines thereon, a simple shifting of the position of the duplex conveyer-trough and a reversal of the direction of travel of its conveyer-chain will bring the contrivance into operative action with another pile of material, which, in a manner similar to that already explained, may be all removed by periodically or continuously swinging the outer end of the trough in the direction indicated by thevdotted arrow at Fig. 1.

Of course, in the operation or use of a con trivanee such as shown and so far described, the supply to that half or portion of the duplex conveyer-trough which may be in active operation may be increased by treading or shoveling down the particles of material from the upper part of the pile or mass, and, Where the exigeneies of the case may render it expedient, the whole apparatus may be shifted from one position to another, so as to bring .the swinging conveyer-trough into an operative relationship first with one and then with the other side of the base portion of the same pile of material.

It will be seen that by the peculiar and 7c novel construction shown of an open-sided conveyer-trough made duplex, or, in other Words, with two operative edgesI to be used at different times, by simply reversing the direction of travel of the conveyerchain and its ights, I am enabled to provide for use an apparatus for removing piles of material by op` erating upon the base thereof, that may be more expeditiously operated and that may be used with greater advantage than one such as shown in and made the subject of my other application for Letters Patent.

Of course the sizes and proportions of the parts, as well as the structural details thereof, may be varied in many ways without departing from the principle of my present invention or improvements, so long as the conveyer has its opposite sides open and is adapted to operate at its opposite edges at different times upon the base portion of a pile or piles of niaterial in substantially the manner which I have hereinbefore explained.

Without, therefore, limiting myself to any peculiarities of detail construction other than that which constitutes the essential feature of 9 novelty of my present improved eontrivanee, what I claim herein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A conveyer composed ofsuitable flights and an endless carrier therefor mounted on suitable wheels, and a duplex conveyer-trough having two opposite open sides adapted to permit the feeding of the particles of material from a pile or piles into either of its compart` ments, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 4th day of October, 1887.

JAMES M. DODGE.

In presence of# M. GETZ, H. BACON.

IOO 

